What does Rosh Hashanah ask of us beyond apples, honey and the promise of a new beginning? Rabbi Elliot Cosgrove and Jon Frankel begin their Rosh Hashanah special with a candid conversation about the High Holidays—the joy of renewal, the weight of Yom Kippur and the difficult work of repairing relationships before we ever enter the synagogue.

They are joined by renowned theologian, scholar and activist Rabbi Irving “Yitz” Greenberg, who reframes Rosh Hashanah as something even more fundamental: the holiday of creation. For Greenberg, recognizing that life is finite gives every human being a responsibility to decide how we will use the time we have. Every word, relationship and action presents a choice between forces that strengthen life and those that diminish it.

That idea also sits at the heart of Greenberg’s new collection, Life Against Death. The conversation moves from the Holocaust and the renewal of Jewish life to October 7, Israel, Zionism and the increasingly difficult relationship between Israel and American Jewry. Greenberg and Cosgrove wrestle with how Jews can defend Jewish self-determination while remaining willing to criticize Israel and its government—and why a healthy Jewish community needs room for disagreement, competing voices and genuine pluralism.

At the beginning of a new year, Greenberg ultimately offers both a challenge and a hopeful vision: human beings have extraordinary agency. We cannot perfect the world all at once, but moment by moment, choice by choice, we can move it toward life.

Rabbi Irving “Yitz” Greenberg:

https://www.hadar.org/about/people/rabbi-yitz-greenberg

Life Against Death:

https://tinyurl.com/y3vby2r7

Rabbi Elliot Cosgrove:

https://www.instagram.com/elliot_cosgrove

https://x.com/RabbiCosgrove

Park Avenue Synagogue:
https://www.pasyn.org

https://www.instagram.com/parkavenuesyn/#

Jon Frankel:

https://www.instagram.com/skifrankel

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The Jewish High Holidays are built around memory, renewal, and the passage of time. But what happens when time itself has broken? As Rosh Hashanah approaches, Rabbi Elliot Cosgrove and Jon Frankel welcome Rachel Goldberg-Polin, whose son Hersh was taken hostage on October 7, 2023 and murdered in captivity after 328 days. Rachel’s new book, When We See You Again, gives voice not to recovery or closure, but to what she calls “packages of pain.”

Rachel remembers Hersh as “the perfect ordinary, and the blessed ordinary”—a curious young man with a remarkable capacity to listen. She recalls the final moment she saw him, walking out the door after Shabbat dinner and turning back to say, “Love you. See you tomorrow.” Nearly three years later, Rachel remains frozen there even as the world moves forward.

That collision between Jewish time and the timelessness of grief sits at the heart of the conversation. Yizkor commands Jews to remember, but Rachel remembers every waking second. Instead, she says she would prefer eight minutes of amnesia—a striking challenge to notions of faith, ritual, healing, and resilience.

And yet, there is yet. Rachel speaks about the parts of her former life she cannot return to “yet,” and searches for a “why” powerful enough to help her bear the “how” of living without Hersh. This is not a conversation about moving on, but about what it means to keep moving at all.

Rachel Goldberg-Polin's Book:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GFSNF8GV?lv=shuf&channelId=500&plpRedirect=mhFallback

Rabbi Elliot Cosgrove:

https://www.instagram.com/elliot_cosgrove

https://x.com/RabbiCosgrove

Park Avenue Synagogue:
https://www.pasyn.org

https://www.instagram.com/parkavenuesyn/#

Jon Frankel:

https://www.instagram.com/skifrankel

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

College football has its sacred places, rituals, traditions, rivalries—and some very devoted believers. So when does fandom begin to look a little like faith?

Rabbi Elliot Cosgrove and Jon Frankel welcome ESPN’s Paul Finebaum for a wide-ranging conversation about the two worlds that have shaped his life: Judaism and college football.

Finebaum reflects on growing up Jewish in Memphis, attending an Orthodox synagogue, losing his father at a young age, and navigating a career in Southern sports while trying to maintain a connection to Jewish tradition. He recalls covering an Auburn game while fasting on Yom Kippur, searching out synagogues while traveling through SEC country, and the complicated ways he has continued Jewish practices in honor of his parents.

Along the way, the three wrestle with questions that extend far beyond sports: What do we owe the communities and institutions we love? When does loyalty become idolatry? How much wrongdoing are we willing to overlook when our side keeps winning? And can the things that divide us also provide a common language that brings us together?

Plus: Finebaum on the changing economics of college sports, the decline of the NCAA, the Big Ten versus the SEC, Michigan’s recent controversies, the traditions every college football fan should experience—and the three people he’d invite to his Yom Kippur break-fast.

Paul Finebaum:
https://www.secsports.com/championships/the-paul-finebaum-show2

https://www.instagram.com/finebaumshow/?hl=en

Rabbi Elliot Cosgrove:

https://www.instagram.com/elliot_cosgrove

https://x.com/RabbiCosgrove

Park Avenue Synagogue:
https://www.pasyn.org

https://www.instagram.com/parkavenuesyn/#

Jon Frankel:

https://www.instagram.com/skifrankel

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

What does it mean to be Jewish on a college campus right now? The headlines often tell a story of antisemitism, protests, polarization, and fear. Those realities matter—but they are not the whole story.

In this back-to-school episode of Common Faith, Rabbi Elliot Cosgrove and Jon Frankel are joined by three leaders whose campuses could hardly be more different: Rabbi Jessica Kirschner of Stanford University, Rabbi Rachel Isaacs of Colby College, and Rabbi Ari Israel of the University of Maryland. Together, they discuss what a Hillel rabbi actually does, how Jewish campus life has changed since October 7, and how students are responding to an atmosphere that can sometimes make Jewish identity feel contested.

What emerges is a more complicated—and ultimately more hopeful—picture. Jewish students are not simply retreating. Many are searching for community, connection, knowledge, pride, and the confidence to engage rather than hide. From harvesting Maine lake ice for a mikvah to launching Tashlich into the stratosphere to bringing hundreds of Jewish students together through basketball, Hillel becomes something larger than a campus institution: a laboratory in which young Jews learn how to build Jewish life for themselves.

The challenge, the rabbis suggest, is to acknowledge the oy without allowing it to eclipse the joy—and to prepare young Jews not merely to feel protected, but empowered.

Rabbi Jessica Kirschner:
https://www.stanfordhillel.org/staff

Rabbi Rachel Isaacs:

https://www.rabbirachelisaacs.com/

Rabbi Ari Israel:

https://marylandhillel.org/staff/ari-israel/

Rabbi Elliot Cosgrove:

https://www.instagram.com/elliot_cosgrove

https://x.com/RabbiCosgrove

Park Avenue Synagogue:
https://www.pasyn.org

https://www.instagram.com/parkavenuesyn/#

Jon Frankel:

https://www.instagram.com/skifrankel

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

What does it really mean to leave a legacy?

Money may be one of the most difficult subjects for families to discuss, but what if conversations about wealth are really conversations about values? Rabbi Elliot Cosgrove and Jon Frankel begin with a fundamental Jewish idea: what we do with our resources reflects what we believe. From tzedakah and Maimonides’ ladder of giving to the everyday decisions parents make about supporting their children, wealth raises questions about obligation, independence, fairness and responsibility. As Rabbi Cosgrove puts it, “a budget is a moral document.”

Their guest, Andrea Baumann Lustig, knows those questions both professionally and personally. A sixth-generation descendant of a European banking family whose history was transformed by the Holocaust, Lustig has spent decades advising families about wealth and inheritance. Her book, Legacy on the Line, identifies the blind spots that keep families from talking openly about money—and argues that the most meaningful inheritance is not simply financial. From teaching children financial literacy to navigating philanthropy, trusts and prenups, the conversation ultimately asks a larger question: How do we pass along not only what we have, but who we are?

Andrea Baumann Lustig:
https://fischerstralem.com/andrea-lustig.html

Legacy on the Line book:

https://legacyonthelinebook.com/

Rabbi Elliot Cosgrove:

https://www.instagram.com/elliot_cosgrove

https://x.com/RabbiCosgrove

Park Avenue Synagogue:
https://www.pasyn.org

https://www.instagram.com/parkavenuesyn/#

Jon Frankel:

https://www.instagram.com/skifrankel

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Why do some emotions motivate us while others overwhelm us? Is anxiety always a problem, or can it actually help us prepare and perform? And what can Jewish tradition teach us about living with difficult feelings rather than suppressing them?

Rabbi Elliot Cosgrove and Jon Frankel welcome psychologist, researcher, and bestselling author Ethan Kross to discuss his latest book, Shift: Managing Your Emotions So They Don't Manage You. Together, they explore how emotions shape our decisions, relationships, and overall well-being—and why emotional health isn't about avoiding negative feelings but learning to manage them effectively.

Drawing on cutting-edge psychological research, personal family stories rooted in Holocaust survival, and timeless Jewish wisdom, Kross explains why emotions are essential to being human, how rituals and community help regulate our emotional lives, and why there is no one-size-fits-all approach to resilience.

The conversation touches on anxiety, grief, leadership, faith, parenting, and the emotional tools available to all of us. From the power of music and sensory experiences to the role of religion and community, this episode offers practical insights for anyone looking to navigate life's challenges with greater awareness and balance.

Ethan Kross:
https://www.ethankross.com/

Rabbi Elliot Cosgrove:

https://www.instagram.com/elliot_cosgrove

https://x.com/RabbiCosgrove

Park Avenue Synagogue:
https://www.pasyn.org

https://www.instagram.com/parkavenuesyn/#

Jon Frankel:

https://www.instagram.com/skifrankel

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

What makes a movie Jewish? Is it the creator, the characters, the themes—or something deeper?

In this episode of Common Faith, Rabbi Elliot Cosgrove and Jon Frankel explore the profound influence Jews have had on Hollywood and American culture. Drawing on a recent essay by author and professor David Mikics, they examine how Jewish immigrants helped build the movie industry, why explicit Jewish stories were often absent from early Hollywood films, and how generations of filmmakers shaped America’s cultural imagination.

Together, they discuss iconic figures such as Louis B. Mayer, Samuel Goldwyn, Steven Spielberg, Stanley Kubrick, and Ben Hecht, while wrestling with larger questions about identity, representation, and artistic responsibility. They also consider the changing cultural climate after October 7, the challenges facing Jewish artists today, and whether Hollywood’s golden age has given way to an algorithm-driven entertainment landscape.

From The Jazz Singer and Casablanca to superhero movies and streaming platforms, this conversation explores how Jewish history, creativity, and values continue to shape the stories we tell—and the stories we choose not to tell.

David Mikics:
https://www.tabletmag.com/contributors/david-mikics

Rabbi Elliot Cosgrove:

https://www.instagram.com/elliot_cosgrove

https://x.com/RabbiCosgrove

Park Avenue Synagogue:
https://www.pasyn.org

https://www.instagram.com/parkavenuesyn/#

Jon Frankel:

https://www.instagram.com/skifrankel

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

When Daniela Gerson and Talia Inlander met at a Los Angeles picnic, neither expected to uncover a remarkable connection: their families came from the same Polish town and survived World War II through a little-known path eastward into the Soviet Union. That discovery became the foundation for The Wanderers: A Story of Exile, Survival, and Unexpected Love in the Shadow of World War II.

In this episode of Common Faith, Rabbi Elliot Cosgrove and Jon Frankel explore a lesser-known chapter of Holocaust history—the story of the hundreds of thousands of Polish Jews who survived not through concentration camps or hiding, but through deportation, forced labor, and refuge in the Soviet Union. Daniela and Talia share their families' journeys, the challenges of uncovering buried histories, and the surprising ways their personal and professional lives have been shaped by stories of migration, displacement, and resilience.

The conversation also examines how families remember trauma differently, what future generations should inherit from Holocaust memory, and why understanding complex histories may be more important than ever in a world still grappling with refugees, war, and identity.

Daniela Gerson:
https://danielagerson.com/

https://www.instagram.com/dhgerson/

Talia Inlander:

https://zolberginstitute.org/person/talia-inlander/

Rabbi Elliot Cosgrove:

https://www.instagram.com/elliot_cosgrove

https://x.com/RabbiCosgrove

Park Avenue Synagogue:
https://www.pasyn.org

https://www.instagram.com/parkavenuesyn/#

Jon Frankel:

https://www.instagram.com/skifrankel

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.